Aussie treasurer calls for easing virus curbs despite rising cases

A passenger arrives on an early morning flight at Sydney Airport, Nov 29, 2021.  (MARK BAKER/AP)

AMMAN / CANBERRA – Australia must loosen COVID-19 restrictions to bolster its economic recovery, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said on Saturday, even as daily infections rose to a six-week high.

"States need to keep calm and carry on. And not overreact to the Omicron variant," Frydenberg told reporters in Melbourne. 

While some measures have been eased as vaccines were rolled out, interstate travel is still prohibited between several states and capacity limits in shops and restaurants are strictly enforced

Australia is one of the world's most vaccinated countries, with nearly 90 percent of people over 16 fully inoculated. Still, Australia said it found 1,753 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, up about 3 percent in the last week and the highest daily total since Oct 29.

READ MORE: Skills shortage bites as Australia reopens

Frydenberg said state and territory leaders must loosen curbs implemented to slow the spread of the virus, emphasising the need to accelerate Australia's economic growth while he played down concerns about the Omicron variant.

"Our economic recovery depends upon it. We have the vaccination rates now at record highs and that has proven to be a vital defence against COVID."

While some measures have been eased as vaccines were rolled out, interstate travel is still prohibited between several states and capacity limits in shops and restaurants are strictly enforced.

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Australia's A$2 trillion ($1.4 trillion) economy was badly damaged by lockdowns in the country's two largest states with gross domestic product falling 1.9 percent in the third quarter. 

Australia last month delayed allowing foreign visa holders to enter until at least mid-December. Frydenberg said on Saturday a decision on whether to reopen would be made in the next few days.

Jordan

Jordan has recorded more than 1 million COVID-19 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic, said the Jordanian Health Ministry.

So far, a total of 1,003,428 cases have been confirmed in the kingdom, with 4,936 new COVID-19 cases being reported on Friday, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also confirmed 38 deaths from the virus, bringing the death toll to 11,917.

It added that 4,214,160 people have received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, including 3,808,336 who have taken the second shots.

Jordan reported its first two cases of the Omicron variant on Thursday.  

People wearing protective face masks walk along the Orchard Road shopping area in Singapore on Nov 28, 2021. (ANNABELLE LIANG / AP)

Singapore

Vaccinations for children aged five to 11 years will start before the end of 2021, according to an emailed statement. A COVID-19 committee recommends that children with moderate to severe chronic medical conditions should be prioritized for access to the vaccine.

READ MORE: Singapore braces for a leap of faith in its COVID-19 strategy

With the roll-out of vaccines to children, the city-state plans to administer more than 2 million doses over the next two months, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post.

In a separate announcement, Singapore’s health ministry said it has detected three more cases that tested preliminarily positive for the Omicron variant.

On Friday, AstraZeneca Plc said it has signed a purchase agreement with Singapore to deliver Evusheld, a COVID-19 antibody drug, the UK pharmaceutical company said in a statement Friday. 

Supply is expected to arrive in Singapore by the end of the year. 

Vietnam

Vietnam will resume some international flights starting Jan 1 in a bid to support the nation’s aviation and tourism industries, according to a statement on the government’s website late Friday. 

The pilot program will start with nine destinations, including Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore and San Francisco, according to the statement, without providing details on any required quarantines for people entering the country.